A sauna ritual: A burst of steam, then 100 drops of sweat.

November 24, 2011

Guest post from a sauna enthusiast:

Sauna. You really have to like the word.

Sauna. It just sounds right. Taking a sauna is many things, but for me, it is the one time in my entire life where a clock doesn’t exist. Time can stop, if only for the 2-3 rounds of heating and cooling one can enjoy while relaxing in and around the sauna.

A ritual has crept upon me as I take a sauna.

A slow start at a moderate temperature develops into a sweat BURST on my entire body – anywhere there is skin as the sauna temperature rises! I’ve often wondered if it is good to sweat a lot or a little when in a sauna. Are you better off sweating a ton or just enough or just a little. My sweat bursts on the scene with an explosion from my pores. This can last for a several minutes before a good pace is grooved to carry me through the majority of my sauna time. Next, after a few hits of water on the rocks, my time is nearing its end in the sauna for the round at hand. It is precisely at this time that I put my hands together, lean forward, bow my head slightly while in a sitting position and meditate as drops of water roll from the tip of my fingers. A count to 100 DROPS rolling from my hand signals the end to another round and the beginning of the cool down as I exit the sauna.

Trying frowning and saying the word “sauna”. You can’t. Sauna is a smile word, enjoy the sweat and the last 100 drops.